Joshua 4
4
Israel Commemorates the Crossing
1 When the entire nation was on the other side,#tn Heb “And when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.” the Lord told Joshua, 2 “Select for yourselves twelve men from the people, one per tribe. 3 Instruct them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests#tn Heb “the feet of the priests.” stand firmly, and carry them over with you and put them in the place where you camp tonight.’”
4 Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one per tribe. 5 Joshua told them, “Go in front of the ark of the Lord your God to the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to put a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the Israelite tribes. 6 The stones#tn Heb “that this may be”; the referent of “this” (the twelve stones) has been specified in the translation for clarity. will be a reminder to you.#tn Heb “in order that this might be a sign among you.” When your children ask someday, ‘Why are these stones important to you?’ 7 tell them how the water of the Jordan stopped flowing#tn Heb “were cut off from before.” before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the water of the Jordan stopped flowing.#tn Heb “how the waters descending from above stood still.” These stones will be a lasting memorial for the Israelites.”
8 The Israelites did just as Joshua commanded. They picked up twelve stones, according to the number of the Israelite tribes, from the middle of the Jordan as the Lord had instructed Joshua. They carried them over with them to the camp and put them there. 9 Joshua also set up twelve stones#tn Here “also” has been supplied in the translation to make it clear (as indicated by v. 20) that these are not the same stones the men took from the river bed.in the middle of the Jordan in the very place where the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stood. They remain there to this very day.
10 Now the priests carrying the ark of the covenant were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people was accomplished, in accordance with all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people went across quickly, 11 and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed as the people looked on.#tn Heb “in the presence of the people.” 12 The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed for battle ahead of the Israelites, just as Moses had instructed them. 13 About forty thousand battle-ready troops#tn Heb “men equipped for battle.” marched past the Lord to fight#tn Heb “for war.” on the plains of Jericho.#map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1. 14 That day the Lord brought honor to Joshua before all Israel. They respected#tn Heb “feared.” him all his life,#tn Heb “all the days of his life.” just as they had respected#tn Heb “had feared.” Moses.
15 The Lord told Joshua, 16 “Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenantal laws#tn Traditionally, “the ark of the testimony,” another name for the ark of the covenant. The Hebrew term עֵדוּת (’edut, “testimony” or “witness”) here refers to the Mosaic covenant and the body of stipulations contained within it (see HALOT 2:791). to come up from the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua instructed the priests, “Come up from the Jordan!” 18 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the middle of the Jordan, and as soon as they set foot on dry land,#tn Heb “and the soles of the feet of the priests were brought up to the dry land.” the water of the Jordan flowed again and returned to flood stage.#tn Heb “and the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and went as formerly over their banks.”sn Verses 15-18 give a more detailed account of the priests’ crossing that had been briefly described in v. 11.
19 The people went up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month#sn The first month was the month Abib (= late March-early April in the modern calendar). The Passover in Egypt also occurred on the tenth day of the first month (Exod 12:2; 13:4). and camped in Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.#map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1. 20 Now Joshua set up in Gilgal the#tn Heb “these,” referring specifically to the twelve stones mentioned in vv. 3-7. twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan. 21 He told the Israelites, “When your children someday ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones represent?’#tn Heb “What are these stones?” 22 explain#tn Heb “make known.” to your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan River#tn Heb “crossed this Jordan”; the word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied to clarify the meaning. on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you while you crossed over. It was just like when the Lord your God dried up the Red Sea before us while we crossed it.#tn Heb “just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea when he dried [it] up before us while we crossed over.” 24 He has done this so#tn Heb “in order that.” all the nations#tn Or “peoples.” of the earth might recognize the Lord’s power#tn Heb “know the hand of the Lord that it is strong.” and so you might always obey#tn Heb “fear.” the Lord your God.”
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Joshua 4
4
1And when all the people were wholy gone ouer Iorden, (after the Lord had spoken vnto Ioshua, saying, 2Take you twelue me out of the people, out of euery tribe a man, 3And command you them, saying, Take you hence out of the middes of Iorden, out of the place where the Priestes stoode in a readinesse, twelue stones, which ye shall take away with you, and leaue them in the lodging where you shall lodge this night) 4Then Ioshua called the twelue men, whome he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of euery tribe a man, 5And Ioshua said vnto them, Go ouer before the Arke of the Lord your God, euen through the middes of Iorden, and take vp euery man of you a stone vpon his shoulder according vnto the nomber of the tribes of the children of Israel, 6That this may bee a signe among you, that whe your children shall aske their fathers in time to come, saying, What meane you by these stones? 7Then ye may answere them, That the waters of Iorden were cut off before the Arke of the couenant of the Lord: for when it passed through Iorden, the waters of Iorden were cut off: therefore these stones are a memoriall vnto the children of Israel for euer. 8Then ye children of Israel did euen so as Ioshua had commanded, and tooke vp twelue stones out of the mids of Iorden as ye Lord had said vnto Ioshua, according to the nomber of the tribes of the children of Israel, and caried them away with them vnto the lodging, and layd them down there. 9And Ioshua set vp twelue stones in the middes of Iorden, in the place where the feete of the Priests, which bare the Arke of the couenant stood, and there haue they continued vnto this day. 10So the Priests, which bare ye Arke, stoode in the middes of Iorden, vntill euery thing was finished that ye Lord had comanded Ioshua to say vnto the people, according to all that Moses charged Ioshua: then the people hasted and went ouer. 11When all the people were cleane passed ouer, the Arke of the Lord went ouer also, and the Priests before the people. 12And the sonnes of Reuben, and the sonnes of Gad, and halfe the tribe of Manasseh went ouer before the children of Israel armed, as Moses had charged them. 13Euen fourty thousand prepared for warre, went before the Lord vnto battel, into ye plaine of Iericho. 14That day the Lord magnified Ioshua in the sight of all Israel, and they feared him, as they feared Moses all dayes of his life. 15And the Lord spake vnto Ioshua, saying, 16Commande the Priests that beare ye Arke of the testimonie, to come vp out of Iorden. 17Ioshua therefore commanded the Priests, saying, Come ye vp out of Iorden. 18And when the Priests that bare the Arke of the couenant of ye Lord were come vp out of the middes of Iorden, and assoone as the soles of the Priests feete were set on the dry land, the waters of Iorde returned vnto their place, and flowed ouer all the bankes thereof, as they did before. 19So the people came vp out of Iorden the tenth day of the first moneth, and pitched in Gilgal, in the Eastside of Iericho. 20Also the twelue stones, which they tooke out of Iorden, did Ioshua pitch in Gilgal. 21And he spake vnto ye childre of Israel, saying, When your children shall aske their fathers in time to come, and say, What meane these stones? 22Then ye shall shew your children, and say, Israel came ouer this Iorden on dry land: 23For the Lord your God dryed vp ye waters of Iorden before you, vntill ye were gone ouer, as the Lord your God did the red Sea, which hee dryed vp before vs, till we were gone ouer, 24That all the people of the worlde may know that the hand of the Lord is mightie, that ye might feare the Lord your God continually.
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